Best In Years
by Danse Pleuvoir
Summary: Gabriella Montez, star of the school musical, was prepared for the performance. Except for one small detail  she was about to have her very first kiss ever.  Not to mention, it is on stage, with her best friend and crush, Troy Bolton.


**Hey Everyone!! I know it has been almost exactly one year since I posted a story… so I thought I should show you how much different my writing style is now. Please forget about how bad Playmaker was…. And focus on this one please!**

**This is a one-shot, based off of MadiWillow's **_**First Kiss: Troy and Gabriella.**_ ** The plot is very much alike… some details are different and so on…. But she gets credit for a lot of the work. Also- thank you to her who has done so much for me writing wise. I really appreciate it.**

**Hope you al enjoy the story. Everyone- please R&R. It makes me happy. And I am working on another one-shot. **

**Enjoy!**

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And there she sat. Her hands moved at a slow pace, making sure every gesture was accurate and direct. She was at a vanity; in front of her were tons of lip glosses, eye shadows, mascaras, and glitter. It was what every girl enjoyed doing – except her, especially not now. She didn't like it one bit.

Her outfit was uncomfortable – definitely made for the stage. Her shoes were irritating; her toes were cramped in the front, but somehow her ankles slipped out of it in the back. Her hair was pinned up in a quite fancy bun, to say the least. Bobby pins poked at her head, hair spray keeping it stiff in place.

But all of that was not the reason that East High junior Gabriella Montez, academic queen, was so unhappy. She was nauseous, but not in a necessarily sick way. When she walked, her legs would wobble. When she talked, her voice cracked. Her stomach lurched, as if animals were quickly invading.

Tonight was opening night of their school's winter musical. And yes, she was the lead girl, along with "basketball boy", Troy Bolton, her secret crush, alongside her. They had never thought of ever being in a musical. She had her Decathlon team, he had basketball. Actually, they weren't really supposed to be friends. It had just happened.

And now, she was in this position. Only fifteen minutes away from the start of the show. She knew it would be fine. They had practiced every day for months. She knew her lines like the back of her hand. She knew the songs, and could hit every note. That wasn't the problem.

The real reason of her anxiety, was the fact that tonight, in the beginning of the second act, she was supposed to kiss Troy. No other girl would have a problem with it. He was very good looking, very nice; in other words, he was perfect.

But not only would she be kissing her best friend _and_ crush, but she would be having her first real kiss. _How do I do it? How long should I hold it? What if we hit heads? _These are the things that raced through her mind… over and over again.

Just then, a brown-haired teen, his blue eyes shining, walked through the room she sat in. His pants hung low, his collared shirt half buttoned with a tie loosely draped over his shoulders. His hair fell nicely, grazing his eyebrows – it wasn't too long, but not too short either. He looked happy, like nothing was bothering him.

He smiled, as she brushed past her, his hand gently moving across the top of her back, as the simple greeting, "Hey," escaped his mouth as he continued out the door.

"Hey," she managed to get out, as a small, artificial smile appeared on her face before he disappeared.

She studied her face in the mirror that was in front of her. Picking up a brush, she made a few last minute fixes on her make-up. She sat back, as a smile tried to make itself seen.

Swallowing hard, thoughts continued to race through her mind. _Well, this is it. Ten minutes to go. Please don't make a fool of yourself. It's one kiss. That's it. He will never know the truth. It's fine._

But even as she tried letting the nervousness go, it lingered. She got up, checked her entire ensemble and made sure her microphone was in place before she went behind stage to her entrance.

Closing her eyes, she began to think about everything again. The calming techniques didn't work. The breathing wasn't working. Her heart was beating faster and faster.

Just then, a body appeared sitting next to her. She looked up, and saw _him._ She looked down once again, not knowing what to do.

"Hey," he said again, trying to make eye contact.

"Um, hi," was all that came out.

The boy noticed something. Gabriella was different. She always giggled when they were together. Smiling rarely took work. She was never shy around him; in fact, he was one of few people who she wasn't apprehensive around.

He gently placed his hand on her thigh, trying to send a tender and loving message. He wasn't sure what to say, worrying that she would get defensive or take his words the wrong way.

After concluding his thoughts, he asked softly, "Gab, what's wrong?"

She was silent, no words coming from her, as her face sagged. "Gabriella?" She looked up, and immediately he saw the pain in her face. The skin was tight, like the worry was holding a firm grasp. "Come on, you can tell me."

But all Gabriella did was look away before retorting in, "No, Troy. You would think it's stupid. I'll be fine."

But Troy knew she wouldn't be. So as she stood up and began to walk away, he grabbed her hand and turned her around. He motioned for her to sit back down, and she did, still looking overtly reserved.

"Gabriella – listen to me. We go on stage in less than ten minutes, and I know for a fact you won't do as amazing as I know you can with something bothering you. I'm your best friend, and you never have to be afraid to tell me anything at all." He gave her an encouraging smile. "So, come on."

She looked at him, the color reappearing in her face. She took a deep breath, not knowing how she was going to put it.

"Well. Umm… well, you know. It's just the, you know," she stammered, hardly aware of how vague she sounded. "The show, and I'm nervous about the..."

She stopped speaking, the words never coming forth. How could she tell him? This was Troy – who she secretly loved, and the one who could never love her. Her breath was coming in short gasps.

"Gab?" Troy prodded, confused as to what exactly she was trying to say.

"Okay – I'm nervous about the kiss. I've never kissed anyone…ever. There. I said it." Her face had turned to the color red roses in record time and her voice shaky from the butterflies in her stomach.

Just as Troy opened his mouth to respond, Ms. Darbus's voice was heard throughout the backstage, yelling "Places people! This is show business—not the basketball stadium. You need to be on time!"

Troy turned back to Gabriella as an awkward silence filled the air between them. The tension was as thick as cake batter and the amount of concern on her face was worse than ever before. She looked down, reaching her hand over her face, trying to take deep breaths.

Troy lifted his arm, as he reached out to Gabriella. He gently gripped his hand around her arm, as her face lifted very slowly. He smiled, as she faced him more directly, now looking into each others' eyes. Their hands were intertwined, leaving a very safe feeling in the air. Just then, Troy leaned into Gabriella and kissed her, gently and sweetly.

Gabriella was in shock. Her eyes were wide and round like plates, as a stunned expression appeared on her features.

Troy stood up, and walked a step away before turning to look at her, as their hands still remained glued together. He smiled, unable to keep the happiness and joy spreading throughout his body show on his face. "I thought it would be better if your first kiss was real, not when you're acting."

They both smiled; the worries and anxiousness that had been there seconds before disappeared as if zapped from the world. And together, they put on the best performance East High had seen in years.


End file.
